Too many trade shows to choose from?

ASIA Travel Tips .com   -  Market research can be a very useful tool for any business planner and strategist, but what if companies in similar fields, appoint different market researchers, to do the same type of research, at the same time, on the same topic ?!

Presumably, we hope, the results should all be similar. This is the only reason we can think of that the travel exhibition industry, an industry where participants are looking far more closely than ever before at the costs involved in attending shows, would decide to have so many shows from September to end November. 

Anyone who attends travel trade shows of any description, knows that they can be invaluable, but that they are also extremely expensive, and highly time consuming. It is a difficult choice deciding which trade shows to attend, and which to miss, as it is not simply the return on investment that needs to be considered but also the invaluable networking opportunities which are far harder to value. With the recent downturn in business and possibility of a new war looming, these considerations are more important than ever.

So which shows will you be attending in 2003 ? Thankfully there will always be some must attend shows which are perfectly spread out such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) which takes place this year in Cambodia (January 25-28), the mammoth ITB in Berlin (March 7-11), the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) (May 6-9) which opens so many important doors to the highly lucrative Middle Eastern markets, and ultimately the World Travel Market in London (November 10-13). 

This is not to say the other shows are not worth attending, different participants will have different markets and segments to consider, but let's take a quick look at this staggering choice of events between September to end November 2003  which it would seem is the most popular time to host an event : 

ABTM - September 3 - 5 (China) (new show)

La Cumbre - September 10 - 12 (America)

Mediterranean Travel Fair - September 16 - 18 (Egypt)

Top Resa - 25-27 September (France)

PATA Travel Mart - October 1 - 3 (Singapore) (revised show and moved from April)

CIS Travel Market - October 1 - 4 (Russia)

JATA World Travel Fair - October 3 - 5 (Japan) (moved from December)

ICCA Exhibition - November 2 - 5  (Republic of Korea)

ITCMA - November 4 - 6 (Thailand) (moved from October)

WTM - November 10-13 (London)

CITM - November 14 - 17 (China)

EIBTM - (2004) - November 30 - 2 December (Spain) (moved from May)

(The above are shows between September to end December, please take a look at our Calendar of Travel Trade Shows for the entire year)

Of course some organisers will say they are targeting a specific niche group from within the travel industry, for example meetings or corporate, but they still all have one thing in common and that is there should be a good amount of hotels,  government tourism bodies etc exhibiting, and that they need qualified and professional buyers there to make the show a success.

Each of the above shows may well offer something unique, but unless you have exceedingly large budgets attending them all will not be an option and with the second largest travel trade show in the world (WTM) amongst them all, some may well find 2003 a difficult year. 

Source:  ASIA Travel Tips .com  

Turkey plans huge promotion at Arabian Travel Market 2003

Turkey is to mount its biggest ever Arabian Travel Market promotion this year, more than doubling the size of its stand for the 10th edition of the Middle East’s annual travel and tourism show.

The move comes as Turkey plans to capitalise on growing inbound tourism traffic from the Gulf and Middle East.

"Many factors have played a role in increasing the tourist numbers but the Arabian Travel Market is an important element," said Hasan Zongur, Information Attache at the Kuwait-based Turkish Tourism and Information Office.

At Arabian Travel Market 2003, which will be held at the Airport Expo Dubai from May 6-9, the Turkish pavilion will span 300 square metres – a 112% increase on its 2002 participation.

In the first nine months of last year some 44,819 tourists from the GCC visited Turkey – 50% more than for the same period in 2001. Saudi Arabia produced the most GCC tourists for Turkey with some 23,420 residents from the Kingdom visiting. Kuwait produced 6,552, the UAE 5,542, Bahrain, 3,902, Oman, 1100 and Qatar 761.

But despite the growth, Turkey believes the region still holds out enormous potential for tourist growth.

"The Middle East still only accounts for 1.66% of Turkey's total tourism arrivals," explained Zongur. "When you take into consideration the size of the Middle East region and the numbers of people going abroad every year, the percentage of arrivals remains low. In the coming years our target is to increase tourism arrivals from the Middle East to about 10% of Turkey's total tourism market.

"We will introduce new Turkish destinations to Middle East consumers and plan to target the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibition sector to help expand Turkey's tourism appeal over the full 12 months of the year."

At Arabian Travel Market 2003, Turkey plans to stage folk dance performances on its stand and raffle free trips to Turkey.

"We want not only to make an impact on the trade, but to ensure the general public, who are allowed in on the consumer sessions of the final two days, go away with Turkey firmly in their sights," said Zongur.

Turkey is among 12 official national tourism organisations to confirm pavilions for Arabian Travel Market 2003, which, to date, has contracted exhibitors from 35 countries.

"So far re-bookings are up for all regions for this time of year," explained Matt Thompson, Group Exhibition Director, Overseas Events, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), which organises Arabian Travel Market.

"We are seeing considerable stand space growth, particularly from national pavilions. For example, the Government of Dubai has increased its stand to 500 square metres and Tunisia and Syria will also be bigger this year. Both the Switzerland and Turkey have increased their participation while Malaysia is doubling the size of its stand to 400 square metres while the Indian pavilion will take up 280 square metres this year as opposed to 120 square metres last year.

"Overall sales for Arabian Travel Market are progressing very well indeed and the show does not seem, at this stage, to be in any way impacted over concerns about the situation in Iraq."

RTE is planning to run a series of educational seminars at Arabian Travel Market 2003 following the success of last year's programme. It is also looking to repeat its highly successful I.T. Forum for the travel industry, which was launched in 2002.

"We are tremendously optimistic about this year's event not least because the Arab Ministers of Tourism summit will be held in the UAE at the same time as the show," explained Thompson. "We think the summit will enhance overall interest in the regional tourism industry, which will benefit the show and we also hope the ministers will attend the official inauguration of Arabian Travel Market 2003."


ABOUT THE ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET ORGANISER

Reed Travel Exhibitions is part of Reed Exhibitions who manage over 450 events in 32 countries, serving 49 different industries in 12 key sectors with some 156,000 exhibiting companies and over 9 million visitors per event cycle.

As a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group, the world-leading business and information provider, Reed Exhibitions is unique in offering integrated market access programmes covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet. Reed Elsevier's business titles are closely linked with Reed Exhibitions' activities across both geographic and industrial markets. It also has a growing portfolio of electronic publishing and information services, including LEXIS-NEXIS, the world's leading provider of on-line information services and management tools.

Reed Travel Exhibitions organise 13 events world-wide, including World Travel Market, Arabian Travel Market, C.I.S. Travel Market, EIBTM, British Travel Trade Fair, Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo(AIME), Asia Business Travel Market, International Golf Travel Market, La Cumbre, Top Resa, Mediterranean Travel Fair, International Luxury Travel Market and ICCA Exhibition, in association with the ICCA Congress.

For further information: Barbara Saunders, MCS/Action, PO Box 20970, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tel; +9714 3902961; fax: +9714 3908161. Email: barbara@mcsaction.com
Or visit Arabian Travel Market online at: http://travel.reedexpo.com

Marriott on FORTUNE's 'Best Companies to Work For' List

Ranks Third Among Companies With More Than 100,000 Employees

/PRNewswire/ -- For the sixth consecutive year, Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) has been recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." Marriott ranked third among companies with 100,000 or more employees, and is the only U.S.- based hotel company on the list. FORTUNE considered more than 1,000 companies and surveyed more than 40,000 employees who evaluated trust in management, pride in work and the company, and camaraderie.

FORTUNE highlighted Marriott for its career advancement opportunities -- more than 40 percent of Marriott's new lodging managers began their careers in hourly positions. The company's community service initiatives and job placement programs for people with disabilities also earned high marks.

"I'm pleased that FORTUNE recognizes our efforts to make Marriott a great place to work. We know that outstanding customer service begins with excellent employees who have opportunities to grow with the organization. We are particularly proud to be among just a few companies with large employee populations included in the annual list," said J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International.

FORTUNE was assisted in compiling this year's list by Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco. The FORTUNE survey is employee-driven, with two-thirds of the scoring based on the answers employees provide on a survey conducted by the Great Places to Work Institute. The remainder of the score is determined by responses to the Institute's culture audit, in which each company explains its philosophy and practices.

The list appears in FORTUNE's Jan. 20, 2003, issue, available on newsstands Jan. 13, and at http://www.fortune.com/ on Jan. 7.

  Other recent awards recognizing Marriott as a great place to work include:

  - Working Mother Magazine -- Ranked Marriott one of the "Best Companies
    for Working Mothers" for the 12th consecutive year.

  - FORTUNE Magazine -- Named Marriott one of the "Top 50 Companies for
    Minorities" for the fifth consecutive year, and one of the "Most Admired
    Companies in America" for the third consecutive year.

  - 2002 Catalyst Award -- Presented to three companies annually since 1986,
    the Catalyst Award celebrates innovative approaches with proven results
    to address the recruitment, development and advancement of all
    managerial women, including women of color.  Catalyst is a non-profit
    women's advisory organization based in New York City.

  - Latina Style Magazine -- Named Marriott one of "The 50 Best Companies
    for Latinas to Work For in the U.S."

  - Globe and Mail "Report on Business" Magazine -- Recognized Marriott as
    one of the 50 best companies to work for in Canada.

For more information or reservations, please visit the web site at http://www.marriott.com/  .

Source: Marriott International, Inc.

Best Western Takes 10 Advertising Awards At International Hospitality Competition

/PRNewswire/ -- Best Western  announced that it finished off 2002 with a number of awards for its advertising campaign. The brand will receive 12 Adrian Awards at The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International's Travel Industry Awards Night later this month. HSMAI's Adrian Awards are the travel industry's most prestigious advertising awards, with more than 1,500 entries from companies in 45 countries.

Best Western was awarded two gold medals for its signature Pillow ads that creatively reinforce The World's Largest message and helped garner record brand awareness with more than 5.04 billion television impressions. The company also received a gold medal for its "10 Pillows" travel agent ad that reinforces the standard amenities found in all hotels as part of BestRequests(TM). Nine other awards (six silver and three bronze) were given to Best Western for development pieces and television spots created for Best Western's summer promotion.

"I am happy to see that we can continue to build on the successes our advertising is experiencing," said Bob Gilbert, vice president, Worldwide Marketing and Sales. "Our brand recognition is at an all-time high and our ads are extremely popular with both hotel owners and guests. These 12 awards only reinforce the fact that we have a great campaign that truly positions us as THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(R), " Gilbert added.

Davis Media Group, Baltimore, created the campaign after being named Best Western's agency of record in March of 2001.

Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(R) with more than 4,000 hotels in 80 countries and territories. Best Western is a membership association of independently owned and operated hotels that provides marketing, reservations and operational support to its members.

For further information please contact Carolyn Hicks-Marion, Public Relations Director, +1-602-957-5668,  Carolyn.Hicks@bestwestern.com,  or David Trumble, Director External Communications, +1-602-957-5753, David.Trumble@bestwestern.com

Source: Best Western International

Mandalay Resort Group Lowers Quarterly Expectations

/PRNewswire/ -- Mandalay Resort Group (NYSE:MBG) today said that softer-than-expected results on the Las Vegas Strip over the holidays, and a low win percentage on table games at Mandalay Bay, would cause earnings per share to be closer to $.10 than to prevalent analysts' estimates near $.20 for the fourth quarter ending January 31, 2003. The company further noted that demand in the first part of January at its Las Vegas Strip resorts has been slow, apart from Mandalay Bay. The company also indicated that it will continue to repurchase shares under its current buyback authorization, depending on market conditions.

Separately, the company's Convention Center at Mandalay Bay opened on time and on budget yesterday, and for the coming year, has booked 56 shows, in line with prior expectations.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities law, including statements concerning the company's earnings per share for the fourth quarter and its anticipated share repurchases. The forward-looking statements in this press release involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements herein. Additional information concerning potential factors that could affect the company's future operations and financial results is included under the caption "Factors that May Affect Our Future Results" in Item 1 of the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2002.

Mandalay Resort Group owns and operates 11 properties in Nevada: Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus, and Slots-A-Fun in Las Vegas; Circus Circus-Reno; Colorado Belle and Edgewater in Laughlin; Gold Strike and Nevada Landing in Jean and Railroad Pass in Henderson. The company also owns and operates Gold Strike, a hotel/casino in Tunica County, Mississippi. The company owns a 50% interest in Silver Legacy in Reno, and owns a 50% interest in and operates Monte Carlo in Las Vegas. In addition, the company owns a 50% interest in and operates Grand Victoria, a riverboat in Elgin, Illinois, and owns 53.5% interest in and operates MotorCity Casino in Detroit, Michigan.

Source: Mandalay Resort Group

CONTACT: Glenn Schaeffer of Mandalay Resort Group, +1-702-632-6710

Independent Poll Shows Strong Willingness to Travel Despite Potential Security Issues

Travelocity's Latest Research Reports Many Traveling Further From Home; Increase in Combination of Short and Long Trips

/PRNewswire/ -- Despite continuing economic uncertainty and ongoing national security issues, a new independent phone poll of Americans commissioned by Travelocity reveals that an overwhelming majority of consumers are planning to travel in 2003 for business and leisure and many of them will venture further from home than they did in 2002. Of those who have made some decision about their travel plans in 2003, 85 percent plan to travel and nearly half would still travel regardless of heightened homeland security levels.

Travelocity's third-party research also reveals that the largest group of survey participants, almost 30 percent, will choose to spend time with their families in 2003 over other types of vacation activities. Additionally, nearly 50 percent plan on taking a combination of short and long trips for 2003 (a 7 percent increase over 2002).

The poll, a random phone survey of 1,000 respondents independently conducted for Travelocity by Telenation, a service of Market Facts, was completed in December 2002. In addition to the details noted below, complete survey results -- broken out demographically by region -- can be found at www.travelocity.com/2003forecastpoll .

"It's encouraging for the industry to see that many Americans plan on traveling in the coming year, regardless of the current economic environment or the potential for increased security alerts," said Amy Ziff, editor-at-large for Travelocity. "It's important to note that the American consumer remains confident whether traveling for business or leisure, according to this research."

  Additional survey findings include:

    -- The vast majority of respondents are likely to go ahead with travel
       plans for 2003 regardless of current global events and a pending war in
       the Middle East

     -- 83 percent are extremely or at least somewhat likely to proceed with
        personal travel plans

     -- 86 percent are extremely or at least somewhat likely to proceed with
        business travel plans

    -- A significantly higher number of survey participants indicate
       intentions of traveling to Europe, Canada, Central or South America in

   2003

     -- Survey revealed that travelers planning to go to Europe in 2003
        compared to 2002 more than doubled

     -- There was a 34 percent increase in travelers planning to go to
        Canada, Central or South America in 2003

     -- In both 2002 and 2003, more than 80 percent of respondents traveled
        to and plan to travel to U.S. destinations further from home (more
        than 200 miles)

    -- Some travel patterns would be affected in light of heightened security
       risks or another U.S. war

     -- There was a decrease of 18 percentage points in travelers willing to
        travel by air if the risk level of security alerts was heightened

     -- There was a decrease of 16 percentage points in travelers willing to
        travel by air if the U.S. entered a war in the Middle East

  -- Top 10 types of vacations planned for 2003 (in order)

     1. Spending time with family                      6. Adventure vacation

     2. Beach vacations                                   7. Cruise

     3. Camping/outdoors/nature trips               8. Architectural/historical sites

     4. Amusement/theme parks                      9. Fishing trips

     5. Cultural experiences                            10. Guided tours

  -- The largest group of respondents plan on taking a combination of short
     AND long trips in 2003

     -- 48 percent plan to take a combination of short and long trips in
         2003, a 7 percent increase from 2002

      -- Northeast respondents were slightly less likely than other regions of
         the country to proceed with personal travel in light of current global
         events and pending war

     -- 80 percent of survey participants from the Northeast were likely to
        proceed with travel plans

     -- 85 percent of survey participants from the West were likely to
        proceed with travel plans

     -- 84 percent of survey participants from the Midwest were likely to
    proceed with travel plans

     -- 83 percent of survey participants from the South were likely to
        proceed with travel plans

 About the Travelocity 2003 Travel Forecast Poll

The Travelocity study was fielded from December 6 through December 8, 2002 via a phone survey of a random sample of the U.S. population by Telenation, a service of Chicago-based Market Facts, a global marketing research consulting and information company. The research included responses from 1,000 Americans.  

About Travelocity  

Travelocity pioneered the online travel space and continues to be the most popular travel service on the Web, giving consumers access to reservations and information for more than 700 airlines, 55,000 hotels, 50 car rental companies and 6,500 cruise and vacation packages, all backed by more than 1,000 customer service representatives who offer 24-hour assistance. 

With 37 million members, Travelocity is the sixth largest travel agency in the United States. It has been recognized worldwide for its leadership in the online travel space, and it operates or powers Web sites in seven languages across four continents.  

Travelocity is wholly owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) , the leading provider of technology and marketing services for the travel industry. More information on Sabre can be found at www.sabre.com . Additional information about Travelocity can be found on the Web at www.travelocity.com 

S.A. Travel agents report strong bookings 

IAfrica.com  -  South Africans are starting to travel overseas again as the rand strengthens, travel agents have said. According to Business Report, the stronger rand meant that forward bookings to almost all destinations were expected to rise.

Gavin Simpson, the chief executive of Holiday Holdings, told the daily that over the last three months of 2002 there was a 40 percent increase in forward bookings to northern hemisphere destinations compared to the previous year.

In addition, Thai Airways had identified southern Africa as a potential growth market and has started negotiations with South African Airways for block bookings on SAA flights to Bangkok, he said.

Simpson’s sentiments were echoed by a number of other travel agents.

The president of the Association of South African Travel Agents, Roger McKie, told the daily that outbound travel was “really taking off”.

He said Europe was the favourite destination for travellers, followed by the Far East. The United States was also a popular destination.

Chief executive of the Sure Travel franchise, William Puk, told the paper that “the signs are positive” although the corporate travel market had been slow so far this year.

He said that, in the event of a war in Iraq, he expected local holidaymakers to take refuge in the Indian Ocean islands.

SAA reported flights to New York and Europe had been “very full” over the festive season, said Business Report. American Airlines also told the paper that bookings were strong.

“Best Hotels On The Web - 2002” By Tripadvisor

TripAdvisor, the leading travel search engine, announced today the results of a year-long study of the most popular hotels on the web for 2002. The first entirely web-based hotel ranking index, TripAdvisor’s “Best Hotels On The Web - 2002” award identifies the top hotel in each major city and continent worldwide based on the quantity and quality of information found out on the web by TripAdvisor’s specialized travel search engine.

Covering over 80 major cities worldwide and the top continents, TripAdvisor’s “Best Hotels On The Web” award was given to the most popular hotel in each city or region. Unlike other hotel awards that are based solely on editorial opinions or user surveys, TripAdvisor’s award takes into account the overall opinions of the vast information written about a hotel available on the web. The greater the amount of positive articles and reviews published on the web about a hotel, the higher the hotel’s ranking. In this regard, TripAdvisor’s “Best Hotels On The Web” award is the first Hotel award based solely on the democratic input of the entire web.

And the Winner Is….

Below is a sampling of the Hotel recipients for the major regions as well as the top 10 major cities worldwide:

Best Hotels On The Web – 2002 – Hotels by major region:

United States - Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas

Canada – Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City

Europe - Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, France

Caribbean - Atlantis Paradise Island Resort and Casino, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Mexico - Gran Caribe Real Resort and Spa, Cancun, Mexico

South Pacific - The Observatory Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Best Hotels On The Web – 2002 – Hotels by major city:

New York City – Algonquin Hotel

Paris - Four Seasons Hotel George V

London – Morgan Hotel

Los Angeles – Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

San Francisco – The Clift Hotel

Washington, D.C. – Topaz Hotel

Seattle – Mayflower Park

Miami – Doral Golf Resort and Spa

San Diego – Hotel Del Coronado

Orlando - Universal’s Portofino Bay Hotel

Service and Location Top the List

The full results of this study can be seen at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/bhotw.html 

A common theme for the top hotel in each city and region was superior service and a convenient location. Articles, reviews and opinions culled from the web for the top hotels universally highlighted the top hotels for their excellent customer service (helping with dinner reservations, complementary room upgrades, friendly staff etc.). Additionally, proximity to the important tourist destinations in a given city was another common theme.

Methodology

During 2002, TripAdvisor’s search technology continuously scoured the web for articles, reviews and opinions published on various travel topics including hotel properties. Based on the quantity (i.e. number of articles, reviews and opinions published on the web) and quality (i.e. whether the content was favorable or negative towards a hotel) of content found on the web, TripAdvisor assigned a “web popularity” score for over 75,000 hotels worldwide. For each of the top 80+ cities and the top regions, TripAdvisor then ranked the hotels in that city or region based on their web popularity score.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor, Inc. provides a comprehensive travel search engine and directory that helps consumers research their travel plans via the web. The company also offers travel suppliers a performance-based marketing medium that generates average click-through rates of over 10% per page. TripAdvisor, Inc. is a privately held, venture-backed company that has won dozens of awards including "Best of the Web 2001" from The San Francisco Chronicle and "Incredibly Useful Site of the Day" by Yahoo! Internet Life. TripAdvisor.com is one of the top travel sites on the web, averaging over 1.8 million unique visitors per month. TripAdvisor’s partners include leading travel companies such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Trip.com and Hotels.com, and its content is featured on other popular sites including  www.lycos.com  and  www.smarterliving.com . TripAdvisor is based in Needham, Massachusetts. For more information, visit http://www.tripadvisor.com/

All-Hotels reports upward trend of online bookings

Following the news that Hotels.com has blamed a downturn in worldwide travel and an increase in customers booking directly with hotels for its 25% share price fall, rival operator All-Hotels.com has reported an upward trend of online bookings for Q4 in 2002, with the number of rooms booked rising 130% to 16,783, and visitor numbers for the quarter rising 144% to 1,699,060 million people worldwide.

Jill Chalmers, managing director of All-Hotels said: "All-Hotels.com has seen an upturn in people booking hotel stays online across Europe and the US during 2002, and our figures suggest these numbers will continue to rise in 2003.

All-Hotels.com, part of Online Travel Corporation (OTC), offers real-time bookings with 77,000 hotels in more than 9,600 locations worldwide.

China's tourism tipped to earn 75 billion USDollars in 2003

China's total income from tourism is predicted to reach 600 billion yuan (75 billion US dollars) in 2003, up 8.5 percent from 2002. The goal for 2003 is to receive 100 million inbound tourists, including 14 million foreigners, said He Guangwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). Foreign tourism income is expected to reach 21.5 billion US dollars. Domestic travelers will reach 900 million, with domestic tourism generating income of 425 billion yuan (53 billion US dollars).

China would further promote inbound tourism in 2003, seeking tourists especially from the United States, Germany and India, He said during the CNTA's three- day annual meeting in Hangzhou that opened on Wednesday. China would also boost tourism cooperation with developed countries to strengthen friendly relations with them.

The 15th meeting of the World Tourism Organization will be held for the first time in China from October 17 to 24 this year. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan, over 70 government ministers and 1,000 industry representatives will attend the meeting. He said the meeting would provide a good opportunity for China to show its latest tourism achievements.

To join the Forum for free, Click Here